Johnson Center Addition and Renovation

Hasting+Chivetta and FBT Architects were selected by the University of New Mexico to transform the outdated Johnson Recreation Center into a student-focused hub of campus activity. Student support for the renovation and expansion is resounding – the project is funded entirely by students.

The Johnson Center opened its doors in 1957 and has not had significant upgrades since. Multiple additions over the years were connected to the original facility via long hallways. The result is a complex wayfinding problem with internal corridors not connected to each other – students can easily get lost and are not able to see the wide range of activities available. The exterior of the Center also reflects a lack of cohesion between the multiple additions over the decades. Hastings+Chivetta and FBT developed a multi-phased plan that will guide the development of the Center for the next decade, and work on the significant first phase is underway.

A new concourse will be added in order to unify previously separated areas of the Johnson Center and simplify building wayfinding and circulation. The glass-walled concourse will create a new entry and pre-event gathering space for the adjacent performance gym, and connect to the renovated practice gyms, as well as the new fitness suite (doubling the existing space), weight training area, functional training zone, outdoor activities suite and climbing wall. The multipurpose rooms and dance studio will also be renovated. A new jogging track and cardio mezzanine will be added above the existing practice gym, and will connect to the new fitness center.

The next phase of renovations will encompass the performance gym, 50M pool, and a large suite for the department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences (HESS). The HESS suite renovations include departmental offices, conference rooms, fitness testing, a biomechanics teaching and research lab, hydro tank/testing area, and a biochemistry lab. Adjacent to the HESS suite will be a connector to a planned Interdisciplinary Academic Building that will accommodate additional HESS classrooms and labs.

Overall, the renovations and expansion will increase the available space for athletics, recreation and academic functions for the University. The new exterior façade will engage with the surrounding campus and landscape, and create a more positive first impression for campus visitors.

This project is LEED Gold certified.

Academics, recreation and athletics in support of the University’s strategic mission.

 

Utah Tech University chose Hastings+Chivetta in association with MHTN to develop a program for the University’s new Human Performance Center. Once the program was approved, the University tapped Hastings+Chivetta and MHTN for the design of the new facility.

The Human Performance Center is the new home for academic programs in Health and Human Performance such as exercise science, sports management and health administration. The facility also provides space for Utah Tech’s joint effort with the University of Utah to offer physical and occupational therapy degrees.

In addition to these academic opportunities, the Center serves campus recreation, intramural, and athletic needs. Recreation components include a fitness center with cardio, weights, and functional training, a track, two-court gymnasium, multi-activity courts, and a climbing wall. A unique component of this project is the rooftop recreation area. Amenities include pickleball courts, basketball courts, and an indoor outdoor track that will circle the roof and continue indoors via a sprint track.

A new 50-meter swimming pool is the only pool in Southern Utah that conforms to NCAA Division II standards. The pool is open to the public during non-academic hours and available for local and regional events.

The facility represents the next major step in showcasing Utah Tech University’s “Active Learning. Active Life” strategic plan.

The new MICDS Steward Family Aquatic Center replaces the aging Beaumont Pool with a prominent structure that honors the architectural context of McDonnell Gymnasium, creating a dramatic two-story entrance from the campus quad, and forming an outdoor gathering space. The building concept, developed by Hastings+Chivetta, was selected from a series of alternatives that initially investigated the feasibility of relocating the natatorium as a stand-alone building. After weighing a series of critical factors, the school decided to reuse the existing site because of its proximity to parking, its adjacency to the Hall of Fame and existing Locker Rooms, and its advantageous topography. Following the decision to rebuild in place, H+C studied the suitability of the site to contain a 50M pool. The existing 8-lane, 25-yard pool no longer met the school’s programmatic needs. Increased water surface for Lower, Middle and Upper School physical education programs and competition was a major goal. Although test fits determined the site would accommodate a 50M pool, MICDS selected a 10-lane Stretch Pool with a moveable bulkhead for simultaneous uses. A moveable floor bottom allows for changes in the depth of the pool in certain areas to accommodate different program needs such as youth swimming lessons and water spinning classes. The design reinforces the connection to McDonnell Gymnasium by extending the Hall of Fame, takes advantage of the sloping site and transforms the user experience by providing views to the outdoors.

As the host aquatic venue for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the competitive 50-meter pool at Georgia Tech was designed for a once-in-a-lifetime event. It was the legacy of the games that the school wanted to preserve in converting the facility into a campus recreation center. As an added challenge, the existing roof structure of the project needed to be maintained as an ongoing, long-term solar energy research project. When it came to selecting an architect for this challenging project, Georgia Tech chose Hastings+Chivetta. The firm developed a bold, innovative solution, involving the world’s longest prestressed concrete floor span, which stretches over the 50-meter pool and under the existing roof. The project includes a 50-meter competition pool, a six-court gymnasium space, a fitness center, racquetball courts, a climbing wall, a leisure pool, offices, locker rooms, and a 500-vehicle, three-level parking deck.

When Old Dominion University administrators set out to enhance recreation facilities, their goal was to renovate the existing Health and Physical Education Fieldhouse, but the cost of transforming the inefficient building was almost equal to new construction. To meet recreational demand and provide a strategy for a better long-term result, Hastings+Chivetta and Moseley Architects designed a concept that preserved the existing natatorium and added 143,000 SF of dramatic new space.

Located in the heart of campus, the new Student Recreation Center has become the hub of all sport, wellness and fitness activities and has energized the campus core in keeping with the master plan vision. The Recreation Center is designed to meet current and future programmatic needs. Major components include: a three-court, hardwood floor gymnasium; a multi-activity court; a two-level cardio, strength and free weight space of 15,000 SF; a suspended running track; three group exercise studios; a cycling studio; three racquetball courts; a climbing wall; and a juice
and bagel bar.

In addition to these recreation components, the center houses the Department of Human Movement Sciences which includes programs such as Exercise Science and Health & Physical Education. The Human Performance Lab is designed to improve the scientific understanding of human movement and to train students to use physiological movement tools and to apply their knowledge professionally.

The Southeast Missouri State campus had lacked swimming facilities since the closure of Parker pool as part of budget cutbacks in 2003. University officials felt that the opening of the Aquatic Center would increase the marketability of SEMO to potential students, since all other universities of the region have equivalent aquatics facilities and activities as part of their extracurricular offerings. Hastings+Chivetta was hired to design this 30,068 SF addition to the existing Student Recreational Center, which was also designed by the firm. The new natatorium includes a leisure pool and six-lane lap pool, locker rooms, offices, and a wet classroom. The leisure pool features a bouldering wall, a zip-line, a water slide, water basketball and volleyball, two lap-lanes, a 20-person whirlpool, and a “bubble-bench” overlooking windows that frame the pool’s vanishing edge.

Macalester College’s goal was to provide a facility that enhanced athletic programs and competition venues while offering opportunities for students to pursue personal fitness, socialize, and participate in recreational sports. Hastings+Chivetta was commissioned to conduct a feasibility study, and then design and construct the new facility.

The design of the two-story Leonard Center incorporates athletic training and practice facilities for the varsity student-athletes while emphasizing the college’s priorities for health and wellness. The competition gymnasium has seating for 1,300 spectators and meets the necessary guidelines to host regional and national competitions.

Additional space includes a hall of fame reception area, administration and coaches’ office suites, storage and laundry facilities. A state-of-the-art athletic training room has a hydrotherapy pool and equipment. There are six sets of separate locker rooms for students, faculty and staff, varsity athletes, visiting teams, coaches, and officials.

A juice bar, lounges and shops are featured in the facility. The Wellness Center has examination rooms, a testing laboratory, offices, a quiet room and resource rooms. Other components include a field house with four full-size courts surrounded by a 200-meter track; a natatorium; a weight and cardio fitness center; racquetball courts and multipurpose studios

The new Student Life Center is designed to be a transformative project on the University of Utah campus. The recreation center is a student-supported project and intended as a hub of social and recreational activity on campus, and the design team incorporated student input and involvement from the earliest stages of the project.

The resulting building is playful and uplifting – a direct reflection of the quality of life at the University.

The design is inspired by its surroundings in the state of Utah, which is predominantly a desert. The color scheme is mostly orange and red hues from the landscape to the south, and the angular surfaces throughout the facility are a nod to the rock formations in the red rock deserts.

The new building joins the previously disparate Campus Recreation Services into a single building. The recreation center features a natatorium with 50M lap pool, leisure pool and whirlpool. The 17,000 SF two-level fitness center contains cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights. Other spaces include a three-court gym with a suspended track, two-court auxiliary gym, a 10-foot tall bouldering wall, 54-foot tall climbing wall, racquetball courts and four group fitness studios.